1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a system for the production of semiconductor component elements produced from a large face semiconductor starting chip that comprises a layer sequence with at least one p-n junction between two main surfaces and is provided with metallic coating at each main surface.
2. Brief Description of the Background of the Invention Including Prior Art
A method is known for the processing of semiconductor chips that includes the adhesive attachment onto a carrier plate, the attachment of a mask with a dicing pattern on the remaining free main face of the semiconductor chip, dicing of the semiconductor chip into semiconductor component elements with a smaller area extension, entering of a passivating and stabilizing substance into the intermediate spaces between the elements generated by subdividing with simultaneous covering of the semiconductor surface regions of the semiconductor component elements that became exposed during the dicing process, and followed by detachment of the element from the carrier plate. With carefully controlled processing steps, this method allows a substantially more economical production, as compared to prior methods of completely individual treatment, of a number of semiconductor bodies of smaller area extension, designated in the following as semiconductor component elements, from a large surface semiconductor disk. These semiconductor component elements are, for example, useful in the context of semiconductor circuits in power electronics.
However, this method is associated with some disadvantages. The steps following the detachment of the semiconductor face and leading to the completion of measured and classified elements are performed in individual processing requiring large time expenditures. Such steps can include a cleaning with a solvent such as, for example, trichloro-ethylene, a heating step for stabilization of the rubber, for example at 200 degrees centigrade for a time of about 16 hours. The measurement of the elements can include determination of the reverse voltage cold at ambient temperature and hot at about 150 degrees centigrade, determination of switching times in the case of fast diodes, and determination of the forward voltage drop. The element can further be classified, sorted into groups, and labelled.
It is not possible to mechanize this sequence and the performance of these further method steps in a desired way, since, in particular, these small areas semiconductor component elements cannot be transported as a bulk material, which would be the preferred transport. Such bulk material would be small part semiconductor elements, which are transported in quantities and without a particular mutual spacial arrangement. Transport as a bulk material would result in an interference with the electrical properties of the semiconductor component elements. The continually growing requirements of semiconductor application industries for more cost favorable semiconductor circuits of high quality make it imperative that the production processes for semiconductor elements become more and more economical.
The state of the art is set forth for example in U.S. Pat. No. 3,432,919, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,228,581 and in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 355,718 filed Apr. 30, 1973 by Trevail et al.